SANTA CRUZ -- Luke Rockhold is searching for his next opponent. Who that may be, at this point, remains anyone's guess.

What is known is the Santa Cruz native is all but assured another top 10 opponent in his next fight.

That's because the mixed-martial arts fighter and No. 6-ranked middleweight earned his first victory in the Ultimate Fighting Championship promotion two weeks ago when he leveled Costas Philippou with a vicious left foot to the liver at UFC Fight Night 35 in Duluth, Ga.

The first-round knockout sent shock waves through the sport of MMA as Rockhold (11-2, 1-1 UFC) re-entered the middleweight title discussion and maintained his top 10 ranking. The 10th-ranked Philippou had never lost a bout by anything other than a decision in 15 career fights. And he did that only three times in his entire career.

"It was pretty awesome," said Rockhold, who earned additional style points by finishing Philippou standing up, considered the Cypriot's area of strength. "Everything kind of worked the way I hoped it would. I trained hard. I trained smart, and usually that results in a good outcome."

And, at least initially, Rockhold was hoping it would result in a bout with No. 5 Michael Bisping.

In addition to a rematch with Vitor Belfort, who spoiled his UFC debut in May, Rockhold has stated his desire to fight anyone in the middleweight division who would help him move up the ladder. But Bisping's name certainly appeared to pique his interest, and for good reason. The two have had a bit of a beef ever since the Englishman called out Rockhold during an episode of MMA Uncensored in 2012.

"Let me put it like this," Bisping said of Rockhold, who at the time was the middleweight champion of the now-defunct Strikeforce promotion, "I've sparred with Luke Rockhold recently and let's just say I'm the unofficial Strikeforce champion. Sorry Luke, but these are the facts."

Rockhold said the two sparred prior to Bisping's September 2012 fight against Brian Stann. Rockhold was just getting back into training, he said, after suffering a wrist injury during his bout with Tim Kennedy earlier that year. But the two nevertheless sparred, with the southpaw Rockhold even displaying an orthodox stance to better reflect Stann. Rockhold said Bisping was "super grateful." They even exchanged phone numbers.

Roughly two months later, Bisping announced his unofficial Strikeforce title on national television. Whether it was made in jest or not, Rockhold didn't forget.

"You don't talk about practice," he said last week.

"Someone needs to bring him back to reality," he added.

The problem for the Soquel High graduate, however, is that Bisping has more than one beef. All signs currently point to Kennedy earning the next bout with Bisping.

Kennedy has been campaigning for months, routinely stoking the Brit's fire on Twitter. The fight remains unofficial (Bisping is reportedly awaiting clearance from the UFC after suffering a detached retina), but several websites have reported the fight is a go and will take place April 16.

Still, Rockhold last weekend traveled to Chicago, site of UFC on Fox 10, to make his case in front of UFC matchmakers.

His case: Not only did he defeat Kennedy in their July 2012 bout, but Rockhold has a better ranking than the No. 9 Kennedy and has a history with Bisping that promoters can stir up.

Ultimately, he feels he can offer a more entertaining bout.

"This is a fighting business," he said, "and you've got to be able to put on a good fight."

"Personally, I think Kennedy would beat him," Rockhold later added. "But I don't think it would be exciting. That's where I can come in. I can make it exciting, make it fun and get the 'W.'"

If Rockhold isn't awarded a chance at Bisping, he will likely find out more about who could be his next opponent after Feb. 15, when two middleweight bouts featuring three top-10 fighters will take place at UFC Fight Night 36 in Jaragua, Brazil.

On that night, No. 3 Ronaldo Souza will square off against No. 8 Francis Carmont, and No. 4 Lyoto Machida will take on a very dangerous yet unranked Gegard Mousasi.

"I imagine I'll get one of those winners," Rockhold said.

Whoever it may be, Rockhold's next opponent should certainly provide him another step toward a middleweight title bout, which is all he ever really wanted following his victory over Philippou.

"You only have one opportunity to bounce back, and I saw an opportunity to take advantage and I'm glad I did," Rockhold said of his win. "I knew I had to come out and make a statement. I knew I had to finish him."

"This is gonna be a good year," he added. "I'm going to put myself in contention."